Borrowing its name from the mechanical model of the solar system that sits by the entrance, it figures that Orrery, on Marylebone High Street, takes its interior inspiration from an observatory.
Sunlight beams through large windows into the clean-cut dining room where banquette seating can accommodate up to 110 guests, but it’s the venue’s 70-capacity covered terrace that really steals the show.
The leafy backdrop of St Marylebone Church gardens, meanwhile, is a winner for Champagne receptions and makes for lovely photos. For much smaller weddings, the restaurant’s elegant private dining room seats 16 people for a bespoke wedding breakfast.
As one of the flagship restaurants of the D&D London portfolio, Orrery is definitely a wedding venue that will impress on the food front. The group and private dining menu costs £45/£55 for three courses at lunch/dinner.
Start, perhaps, with seafood ravioli with lobster bisque, chicken liver parfait with apple chutney and toasted pain Poilâne, or salmon ballotine with keta and fromage blanc. Main courses might be fillet of cod with herb risotto, Jerusalem artichoke and coconut velouté or rump of lamb with seasonal vegetables and rosemary jus.
If you want to push the boat out further, dishes such as Dorset crab with wasabi, avocado and mango or the signature tournedos Rossini with caramelised shallot and sauce Périgourdine are charged with a supplement, while vegetarian options include mozzarella with poached pear and truffle honey or potato ravioli with butter emulsion and truffles.
For the ultimate in foodie wedding breakfasts, a ‘menu gourmand’ tasting menu clocks in at £75 for six courses and might include the likes of seared Orkney scallop with Jerusalem artichoke and apple velouté. Canapés for your Champagne reception are no less accomplished: fresh crab with tomato, chives and caviar, wild mushroom en croute or a cornette of Parma ham and celeriac, say.